rear leaf spring removal

[macibell111]

I am trying to take off my rear leaf springs,on the rear shakles I took off the zerk fitting and loosened the pinch bolt ,turned the bolt that the zerk fitting is attached to ,my question is ,does that large bolt come out if I keep loosening it ,and slipsout of the eye of the spring,dont want to break the bolt ,it is getting tighter,probably gooped up,help,I am trying to get the center leaf bolt out and replace it,along with the u-bolts.any ideas???

[Master Yota]

You do not have to remove the spring pack to replace the center pin. You can disassemble the pack on the truck provided you have enough room between the pack and the axle housing. About 6-7" of clearance is all you need. When I did mine, I had the rear end out, so I simply used some large "C" clamps to hold the pack together while I removed the center pin. Undoing the "C" clamps will allow the leaves to slowly separate with some control; (without either the weight of the truck on the spring pack, or having them clamped, the spring pack can come apart with some force if you remove the center bolt without securing the pack)... You can now disassemble the pack down to each leaf spring, or, simply leave the clamps on the pack and drive a new center pin through the pack and put it all back together in the reverse order.

Its probably worthwhile to take the pack apart and at least clean and inspect the springs for cracks or severe pitting. I used an air die grinder with a sanding disc to clean the springs up. A wire wheel will accomplish the same thing.

Good luck!

[Cal_Gary]

Mac,
If you're removing the entire spring, make sure you have the tension removed from the springs by jacking up the rear at the bumperette area before completely removing the bolts. Another tip I will share is upon reinstall, secure the front anchor bolt 1st, then you can use a scissor jack on the back half of the spring pack to leverage the shackle alignment into place before inserting the rear bolts.
Gary

[macibell111]

thanks for the info ,what I have learned so far today is exactly what u guys said,knowledge is a powerfull tool.thanks again,I took all the leafs apart to sand and clean the them ,if I have it this far I am going the extra mile to clean everthing and paint as long as the bed is off..thanks again